Between the Lines
by suezahn
Disclaimer: All characters depicted herein are the property of Lucasfilm, Disney, etc. My only profit is in the form of readers' feedback. Please be generous!
Note: This story was originally written in 1995 and has now be revised and updated for consistency with the rest of the Kismet series. Please note that the OC name Kristin Aldritch = Keris Aldric now. I decided the old name was too "Earthy." A very special thank-you to my lovely proofreaders: Erin Darroch and Marjorie Joyce. The original story was awarded STAR aWARdS Best Long Story 1995.
Chapter 13
One could surmise that the Med Center was the most comfortable chamber in the entire hidden Rebel base. It was certainly the warmest, and Leia appreciated the relative heat.
The tension was far from over, however. Han had seemed to emerge from the freezing temperatures of a Hoth night with a mild case of hypothermia but an acute case of attitude. Luke, on the other hand, was still listed in critical condition with severe frostbite, hypothermia, a mild concussion, and a physical mauling to his face for which Leia had yet to hear an explanation.
At the moment, she, Chewbacca, Threepio, and Artoo were sharing a tiny observation room connected to the surgical ward by a clear plastiglas window. Han was still absent. For a fleeting instant she recalled how wonderful it had felt to have him standing close beside her when they'd been back on Ord Mantell and wished he were there now so she could feel his reassuring presence as she watched Too-Onebee, the Rebel base's surgeon droid, strip away the blood-soaked thermal suit from Skywalker's inert body.
A more rational part of her mind repressed that desire as she remembered her latest encounter with Han following his return a short while ago. Leia felt her jaw clench in vexation at the memory. He'd walked away without another word, leaving her to mull over his suggestive taunt. He baffled her. One minute, he would push her away; the next, he would try to pull her back. What was she supposed to do other than feel like she was being torn in half?
Leia tugged off one of her fitted thermal gloves and pressed her bare hand, fingers splayed and palm flat, against the clear partition separating her from the events in the next room. The medical droids had stripped Luke down to his undershorts in order to run diagnostics before immersing him in the healing Bacta tank. Luke was in the best medical care the Alliance had access to and yet she couldn't help feeling as if she might somehow help his healing. Maybe even ease his pain. Luke, how many times does it have to be this close?
Too often, she'd taken Luke's freely given friendship for granted. Guilt haunted her now because most of her thoughts during the night centering on Han. Luke deserved much more devotion from her than that. He shared her beliefs, her convictions, her hopes and desires to win this costly war. Why couldn't I have fallen in love with you? He would have welcomed it at one time before he'd come to know her, before he'd realized her feelings for him were different.…
The door at the far wall behind her slid open with a hiss and Leia turned to see Han Solo enter the room. His gaze went straight to her before shifting to the scene behind the sheet of plastiglas.
Chewbacca, standing to one side, tipped his head and softly barked, «Are you feeling better?»
"Yeah," Han answered simply. He strode up to the clear wall, sharing yet another look with the princess as he neared her and Threepio. He nodded his head in the direction of the other room. "They say anything yet?"
Leia shook her head. Unable to make eye contact now that Han stood beside her, she looked down and pulled her glove back on. She felt flushed.
Artoo-Detoo rolled forward to settle beside See-Threepio as he emitted a short stream of beeps and whistles. Threepio patted his companion's domed top. "Of course, Artoo." The golden droid turned back to Han. "Captain Solo, Artoo and I would like to express our relief at seeing you back safely, and we would also like to thank you for rescuing Master Luke."
Han gave a little shrug. "You're welcome, Goldenrod."
Leia could sense his gaze on her again. She hadn't uttered but a handful of words to him since his return, and yet she was bursting with things to say. Why was it so difficult?
"Your Highness," a gentle voice from the medical droid came over the PA speakers within their observation chamber, "you requested an update on Commander Skywalker's condition?"
"Yes, Too-Onebee." Leia redirected her attention to the next room. "Will he be all right?"
"Yes, Your Highness, but it is too soon to know at this moment whether he will make a complete recovery. Momentarily, we will immerse him in the tank. The Bacta will help speed up his own healing functions."
"Very well. Please keep me updated, Too-Onebee."
"Of course, Your Highness."
The small group watched in silence as the medical droids worked on their friend. Within moments, Luke's limp body was suspended within a harness and lowered in to the reddish, living ooze known as Bacta. Within moments of being submerged, he began to thrash about.
Disturbed by Luke's violent motions, Leia looked to Han in alarm. "Why is he fighting like that?"
"You've never been in a Bacta tank?" Han asked in a gentle tone.
"No. Have you?"
"Bacta works wonders but it has to enter every damaged cell to do it. It's not the greatest feeling, Sweetheart."
Resisting the desire to probe further into Han's past, Leia turned back to watch Skywalker struggle against the painful onslaught of healing fluid. "What happened to his face?" she wondered aloud. It was obvious that something besides cold weather had inflicted the deep gashes on his young features.
"I don't know." Han let out a deep breath as he raised a supporting hand to lean against the wall, and tucked his other hand into his hip pocket. "I found him like that. He kept muttering something about that old Ben Kenobi and somebody named Yoda or something. He was already in shock."
She turned to face him. "Han, I…." She'd been about to thank him, to tell him everything she'd been carrying around with her like a weight. However, her train of thought was derailed by the expression of wonder that now transformed the spacer's face.
Han straightened up away from the wall and pulled his hand from his pocket, holding it up to display a golden coin. "Almost forgot. You dropped this a few days back." Han closely watched her surprised reaction as he cocked his head and flashed a winning smile. "What were you doing with something like this?"
Hypnotized by the coin he still held between thumb and forefinger, the one she'd forgotten all about, Leia was at a loss. "What?"
"I know these are supposed to be lucky. Guess they were right. Is this your way of keeping me in your pocket, Princess?"
Leia felt her jaw drop yet again. She was beginning to feel like a Mon Calamari too long out of water. Indignant, she stuck out a hand to take the token back. "Listen, Flyboy—"
Han pulled his hand and the coin out of her reach. "Ah-ah-ah," he teased. With a merciless grin, he proceeded to tuck the membership token back into his pocket, patting it with exaggerated affection. "You never know—I may need it again."
Provoked beyond tolerance and still incapable of coming up with a single word, Leia debated her options. A strategic and dignified retreat was in order. She plotted and executed a course for the exit.
"Was it something I said?" Han queried with an innocence that should have strained some major muscle group.
Leia had already reached the door, but his insincere question made her spin around. She was not going to let him get the last word in this time "Keep the coin. You're going to need it if you think Rieekan's going to let you off this planet any time soon." She paused long enough to see Han's expression transform yet again, and was gratified to see that it wasn't a smug smile this time.